Roman Catholic Cardinal. Puerto Cabello born José Alí Lebrún Moratinos received his first education at the Colegio San José of his native city under the Brothers of the Christian Schools, eventually entering the Interdiocesan Seminary of Caracas in July 1934. Sent to Rome in order to further his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Second World War forced him to leave Italy and enter the Pontifical Xavierian University of Bogotá, Colombia. Ordained priest on December 19, 1943 at the cathedral of Valencia en Venezuela, in the years that followed he served in the same diocese as faculty member, spiritual director and rector of the local seminary; chaplain and faculty member of the Colegio Nuestra Señora de Lourdes; rendered pastoral ministry in several parishes; chaplain of the local jail; diocesan assessor of the Feminine Catholic Youth; director of the "Cultura Católica" review and of the newspaper "El Carabobeño"; assessor of the Venezuelan Catholic Education Association for the section of Valencia; master of ceremonies; defensor of the matrimonial bond and pro-vicar general. Elected auxiliary for the see of Maracaibo by Pope Pius XII on August 2, 1956, he received his episcopal consecration with the titular see of Arado from Archbishop Raffaele Forni on the following September 2. Apostolic administrator of the see Maracaibo following the death of Msgr. Marcos Sergio Godoy on October 23, 1957, he was transferred to see of Maracay on June 21, 1958 and to that of Valencia en Venezuela on March 19, 1962. Appointed coadjutor with right of succession and apostolic administrator 'sede plena' of Caracas on September 16, 1972, Lebrún was promoted to the titular archbishopric see of Voncaria. Vice-president of the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference, he succeeded to the metropolitan see of Caracas on May 24, 1980 following the retirement of Cardinal José Humberto Quintero Parra. Pope John Paul II created him cardinal priest in the consistory of February 2, 1983 with the title of San Pancrazio. President of the Episcopal Conference of Venezuela between 1984 and 1990, he resigned the pastoral government of his see on May 27, 1995. Cardinal Lebrún died in a clinic in Caracas after suffering a heart attack in 2001. On Wednesday, March 3, 2021, Cardinal Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo, apostolic administrator of Caracas, in a meeting with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, presented a nulla osta petition for the cause of beatification of Cardinal Lebrún.